The Painting by Tropinin “The girl’s head. Etude to the portrait of Ershova with her daughter”


The talent and artistic skill of Vasily Tropinin were such that many took his portraits for the works of Rembrandt, so much in them there was a striking color and power of illumination. Graceful female heads gave him the glory of “Russian Dream”. Vasily Andreevich occupied in the Moscow cultural life that niche, which before him was empty, and became the most famous Moscow portraitist, who reflected in the images of contemporaries and harmony, and the contradictory nature of Moscow’s life.

According to AN Benois, what Kiprensky meant for Petersburg, then for Moscow, if not more, Tropinin. Hence the casual-domestic, “home” intonation of his portraits, the feeling of a close acquaintance with the models as if living in the neighborhood. The artist did not correct the nature of the model and did not embellish it with artificial effects; with every possible thoroughness he conveyed the almost imperceptible features of the face of the person depicted.

“Portrait of VI Ershova with her daughter” – one of the best in the artist. The very type of a two-figure image entered Russian painting along with sentimentalism. However, while preserving the idea of ​​the work – to show the spiritual kinship of close people – instead of the characteristic expression of intentional expression of feelings with a touch of theatricality, Tropinin conveys a direct manifestation of maternal tenderness and pride in his child. With love for a small model, the emotional state of a girl is expressed, trustingly clinging to her mother, seeking support from her. The atmosphere of warmth and homeliness qualitatively distinguishes “Portrait of VI Ershova with her daughter” in a series of works of the same type in Russian and Western European art.


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

The Painting by Tropinin “The girl’s head. Etude to the portrait of Ershova with her daughter”